Chapter 863 The Fall of the Imperial Capital! (Middle)

It wasn't the hazy awakening of morning, with all things rejuvenating at dawn;

Nor was it the scorching midday sun, with its intense heat baking feet and scalps alike;

But at dusk.

A surprise attack might seem more suited to the style of morning, but in this world, perfect things are hard to come by.

Sneaking, flanking, crossing the river, and then galloping onward, setting aside Xue San and Chen Xiong, who had been sent to Mount Xiangsi early on as part of the diversion, and further setting aside the ten thousand left to guard the Prince, Chen Yang and Fan Li should have had at least thirty-five thousand troops.

Those selected to enter Qian were veterans from the Sushan camp, along with elites chosen from other units. Moreover, the capture of both Lanyang City and Chuzhou City hadn't inflicted too much damage on the Yan army.

But when they actually arrived beneath the walls of Shangjing City, Chen Yang's unit numbered just barely thirty thousand.

This meant that at least five thousand subordinates had either died of exhaustion, fallen behind, or simply gotten lost during this rapid and terrifying maneuver.

For ordinary armies, this would be normal, which is why the more troops there are, the slower the march. But for what had once been the personal elite force of Prince Jingnan himself, such a large non-combat loss was enough to demonstrate the price the Yan army had paid for this "surprise attack."

However,

Upon seeing the walls of Shangjing City,

From top to bottom,

Whether general or the lowliest rider,

Even breathing could make them taste the metallic tang of blood in the back of their throats,

At this moment, they all felt it was worth it!

Shangjing City

Was right before their eyes!

This was a majestic imperial capital, and also an extremely weak one. It was right there, so quiet, so graceful.

It,

Was waiting for their pleasure!

Chen Yang knew that this was the opportunity that Prince Pingxi had bought with himself as bait.

He knew even better that as long as he could break into this capital city, his past crimes in the Sushan camp could finally be erased.

Chen Yang's mind was no longer able to think of anything else. Even when he had first received the order, he had thought not about whether Prince Pingxi's almost "manic" military decision could succeed,

But rather, whether after the success of this military gamble, he and his troops, and Prince Pingxi himself, would have a chance to surface and breathe again after the joy and victory.

Because this time, they had no reinforcements. Dividing their forces again after penetrating so deeply would only make their situation increasingly passive.

Prince Pingxi himself was still surrounded by Qian armies.

Even if he captured Shangjing City, how would he link up next?

Could he even avoid being smothered to death under the Qian people's mad revenge attack? All of this was uncertain.

But that was also why the Qian people hadn't anticipated this. You could deduce and predict most of your opponent's motives and actions, but you wouldn't expect him to "seek death"!

Chen Yang thought of that night when the Prince had addressed the entire army. The centurions who had come to listen were instructed to repeat it to their soldiers in the tradition of Jindong.

That night, the Prince had said that he was going to lead everyone to pursue something. Not wealth, not women, not land, but... glory.

Was this,

The glory the Prince wanted?

Now, Chen Yang no longer wanted to think about the gains and losses. The only thing he wanted to do now was to taste this magnificent... delicacy before him!

The words in the brocade pouch that Fan Li opened were "Ula!"

The Prince was being a "busybody" again, but Fan Li was very satisfied.

Under these circumstances,

Only these two words could make his entire body tingle.

The woodcutter who once used people as firewood to collect and built palaces with accumulated bones loved this kind of large-scale slaughter.

In this atmosphere,

Fan Li's skin began to take on an unusual red color.

His armor had long been discarded on the road, but at this moment, he roared and charged to the front, like a wild beast pouncing into its sheep pen.

Chen Yang growled, "Transmit my order, charge the city!"

The adjutant began roaring to convey the order. Their voices were already hoarse, but it didn't matter. When the center army saw the front army charging forward without hesitation, they immediately understood, and so did the rear army.

This was a tired army, but the alluring Shangjing City was enough to squeeze out a new surge of energy.

After all, this Shangjing City was much more "thirst-quenching" than plums.

Back then, Shangjing City had been attacked by Li Fusheng, although it was just an act of venting, it had indeed experienced the ravages of war.

But at that time, Shangjing City had the Emperor and the garrison troops that had been recruited early on. Although the Qian army didn't dare to fight in the open field, defending the city was no problem at all.

Logically speaking, because of Li Fusheng's attack, the Qian Dynasty should have paid more attention to the defense of Shangjing City.

For example, the construction of the city walls, the clearing of civilian houses outside the city walls, and the construction of satellite fortresses. The Qian people were very experienced in construction, but it didn't work here.

Because Shangjing City was the heart of the entire Qian Dynasty, it involved too many interests. If they wanted to transform it into a military stronghold, they would have to weaken its functions in other directions. But the problem was that the original Shangjing City was already operating under heavy pressure. This large city accommodated the most population in Zhuxia and even in the world today. It needed too much manpower and material resources, as well as inevitable operation to achieve the nutrients required for its own existence.

Even though the Yan army had swept through the Jingji area back then, the population of Bianzhou Prefecture, that is, the population under the emperor's feet, had not decreased, but had instead expanded more sharply.

After the northern region was swept by the Yan people, the people in the northern region who had the conditions began to migrate to the capital.

A southwest rebellion, coupled with the friction between the Chu State and the Qian Dynasty in the southeast, wherever war broke out, a large number of people would instinctively choose to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages and take refuge under the emperor's feet.

In fact, Shangjing City must have focused on its defense capabilities and military functions at the beginning of its construction, but gradually, it would become like the imperial palace. Any imperial palace would also consider its defense when it was built, after all, this was the last barrier to protect the emperor, but often when things came, it would seem very weak and pale.

Therefore, in general, when a capital city is faced with an enemy attack, it will often gather troops in advance or call on troops from all over the country to defend it. The garrison troops are by no means just standing on the city wall to defend in the traditional sense. In many places, enough soldiers are needed to fill the gaps and fight head-on, otherwise these loopholes cannot be filled at all.

If the Qian Dynasty's Imperial Guards were still in Shangjing City, even if it wasn't all of them, but only thirty thousand regular troops, they could hold the first wave and then mobilize the people. This city could be defended, at least, the so-called siege would really have to be transformed into a siege mode.

But as it happened, although there were actually quite a few Imperial Guards left behind, the real backbone and elites had gone to the northern battlefield with the Emperor. In short, the entire system of the Imperial Guards in Shangjing City had actually been dismantled.

Within this capital city, there was no one, or a group of people, who could grasp the "actual operation" of this capital city.

At the same time,

We also have to consider some of the arrangements made by the Emperor before his personal expedition.

For example, who to take with him, such as who to demote and send out before the expedition, or simply imprison him;

If there is a problem with my war in the front, if I am defeated, how should the rear ensure that I will wait for my return smoothly and without any trouble.

It is impossible for me to fight at the front, and the prince or someone else at the rear will stage a coup and directly honor me as the "Supreme Emperor". That would be a big joke.

After all, not everyone can be like Prince Pingxi, who leads his troops on an expedition, and his hometown is simply left to the blind man. This kind of trust cannot be understood or learned by others.

Even if the Emperor himself could really do such "courage," the other forces in the court would not allow others to take the opportunity to use the name of the Crown Prince to oversee the country after the Emperor left the capital.

This is the artificially created state of "weakness" and "loose sand".

A capital city, after being stripped of its main force, was also deliberately disrupted. Suddenly faced with a group of fierce Yan troops, it suddenly became chaotic.

The beacon fires were lit,

The bells rang,

It was not that there were no officials and military generals who were loyal to this country who actively rushed to the front line of the city wall at this time, nor was it that there were no Jianghu heroes who wanted to help kill the enemy against the tide of panicked people;

There were all of these. With so many people in the huge Shangjing City, there would naturally be no shortage of these touching moments in times of crisis;

But the problem was that under the general trend, the personal efforts that became points and lines still could not change the impact of the shocking waves at this time.

The Zhengyang Gate had been closed early, but the two side gates of the Zhengyang Gate had failed to close successfully, and there were roads outside the two side gates that could be detoured into the city.

People lived here, just like a group of ants scurrying up and down, and even the capital city could be compared to a sprawling ant nest.

The Zhengyang Gate守將 personally led a team of Imperial Guards and Yan troops to fight, trying to hold this area down temporarily and wait for the reinforcements in the capital to arrive, but unfortunately, he failed.

He died here with his entourage of personal guards, but more of his soldiers did not have the same determination to die as the Shoujiang, and soon collapsed back.

In less than half a day, at most, a little more than an hour, the Yan people opened the defense line of the Zhengyang Gate and rushed in.

The Yan army, which was still looking for entry points in other directions, learned of this news and decisively stopped entangled with the Qian army in front of them. After leaving the battlefield, they directly entered through the ready-made gaps.

The main force of the Imperial Guards stationed outside the capital city was transferred to follow the Emperor to the north, so this capital city directly faced the first wave of the Yan army's attack.

In Shangjing City, the officials with the ability to organize defense were not high enough in rank and did not have the qualifications to dispatch them, and those who were qualified to dispatch them did not know how to do it at all.

This was not sarcasm, but a cold reality. The overly complex and cumbersome official system made it impossible for the Qian people to command the overall situation in a short period of time in this critical moment.

In contrast, under the same circumstances, the Yan people, who had always been considered "crude" by the Qian people, were more adaptable.

The Yan people's cities, no matter which one, even in the capital city, can clearly divide the top batch of officials into three, six, or nine grades, or can be called a similar "mountain king" general大哥二哥三哥, Prince Pingxi's experience is actually the most authoritative on this point.

In times of crisis,大哥 goes on, and if大哥 is gone, 二哥 steps up.

Simple and crude systems are more efficient than so-called delicate and rich ones at specific times.

Therefore,

The Yan people really poured in through the Zhengyang Gate, and the Qian people, the garrison troops in other places, did not think about调集 to make up for this terrible loophole.

As more and more Yan troops poured in, and when the Yan troops who entered the city began to radiate to the surrounding area, the city defense of the entire Shangjing City can be said to be rapidly losing its meaning.

And at this time,

Inside the Qian Dynasty's Imperial Palace, it was even more chaotic.

The Crown Prince, who was overseeing the country, was initially led by the eunuchs around him to run in the direction of the harem, because they heard that the Yan people had attacked from the west, so the southeast corner should be relatively safe.

But the two prime ministers who stayed behind immediately came to the palace with people and demanded that the Crown Prince immediately issue an edict to organize the soldiers and civilians in the city to fight back and drive out the Yan people.

The subordinates of both sides once fought together. In this critical moment, the so-called rules, etiquette, and矜持, which were usually valued more than life, suddenly seemed to be worthless.

Outside the palace, the Seventh Prince, who had already opened a mansion and established his own government, and had been to the southeast several times to deliver imperial edicts and had a close relationship with the Zu family, immediately put on his armor and took up his weapons after hearing the noise from outside, and led his royal guards to go out and clean up the situation.

However, before the Emperor's personal expedition, he was specifically punished for "poor homework" and ordered to闭门思过.

This prince, who had dabbled in some military power, was regarded by the Emperor as one of the unstable factors in Shangjing City during his personal expedition;

And the Crown Prince and his associates, in order to ensure absolute stability, further intensified the禁锢 of this prince.

Originally, the Emperor may have just wanted to put a seal on it, but the people below and other people took the opportunity to打上板钉.

The Seventh Prince originally wanted to come out to clean up the situation, but after being rejected by the银甲卫 guarding his palace, the two sides actually fought each other outside the palace first.

On the other hand, the Yan people were constantly coming in.

Such an absurd scene was constantly being staged in various parts of Shangjing City.

There was really not much worth writing about, because under such circumstances, the appearance of this glorious capital city was only more chaotic and不堪 than the previous Lanyang City and Chuzhou City.

The Yan people's horses began to trample on the official roads in Shangjing City. Unlike the Qian people's bewilderment in their own capital, the Yan army's rapid response after experiencing two entries into the city was used this time.

Which gate to rush through, which point to capture, which area to clear, the Yan army did not actually have a prior plan, but naturally went to the places they should go under the leadership of their respective generals. There would definitely be overlaps and there would inevitably be omissions, but this efficiency was so efficient that it was staggering compared to the Qian people at this time.

"The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Palace!"

Fan Li, holding an ax, shouted to the Yan army following him.

Having entered the capital city, the Imperial Palace must be the top priority!

Chen Yang did not compete with Fan Li on this point, but instead took care of the overall situation and began to lead his troops to defeat the organized Qian army in the city.

"Imperial Palace!!!!"

"Enter the Imperial Palace, capture the Qian Empress!"

"Enter the Imperial Palace, capture the Qian Empress!"

The slogan that made people's blood boil sounded again. The Yan soldiers felt that the blood in their bodies was burning. They were fearless and did not believe that there would be anyone in front who could stop their pace.

On the way to the Imperial Palace, Qian troops came out to intercept from time to time, and there were also many Jinyiwei wearing銀甲衛 robes, and there were also many experts among them.

But under the orderly charge of the Yan army and the reaping of bows and arrows, the Qian people's resistance basically did not last too long.

Even,

Because Fan Li led his troops to charge too fast, the palace gate of the Imperial Palace had not been able to close successfully.

Some people wanted to come out and were ordered to check the situation outside, while others received letters from unknown adults or nobles in the palace, requesting to come in and protect them. Everyone was stuck there, and when the Yan people came, they directly "exploded."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The Yan army killed into the Imperial Palace.

"Bang!"

Fan Li, like a wild bull, knocked the few Qian Dynasty Golden Guard-dressed guys in front of him flying out, and he also rolled several times on the ground. He really didn't expect that those few Golden Guards were dressed so gorgeously but their skills were extremely 拉胯, causing most of his strength to make intimate contact with the green bricks on the ground.

After a "click" sound,

Fan Li was shocked to find that he had broken his left arm!

"..." Fan Li.

So,

Next,

When the Yan soldiers kept reporting to Fan Li, the picture became like this:

"General Fan, those eunuchs..."

"Chop them down!"

"General Fan, those wearing red robes..."

"Chop them down!"

"General Fan, those wearing purple robes..."

"Chop them down!"

"General Fan, those..."

"Chop them down, chop them down, chop them down! Except for the Empress and the imperial concubines, chop them all down!"

"General Fan..."

"Ask me again, and I'll chop you down!"

In Shangjing City outside the Imperial Palace, Chen Yang, who gave up the opportunity to show off and was wholeheartedly working as a cleaner, and had just defeated another team of Imperial Guards, leaned on his knife, stood in the pool of blood, looked at the subordinates who continued to follow him, he grinned, raised his head, and laughed at the sky:

"Li Fusheng, you bragged for several years, but you only pissed under the walls of Shangjing City! This time, I have come in with my back straight!"

Wiping the blood on his face,

Chen Yang reached into his inner armor and took out a brocade pouch.

Prince Pingxi gave two brocade pouches in total, one to Fan Li and one to him, Chen Yang.

The one given to Fan Li was to open it when he saw Shangjing City;

The one given to him was to open it after he had entered Shangjing City.

Chen Yang gasped for breath as he tore open the brocade pouch and opened the piece of paper inside...blank without words; turning it over, it was still blank.

"Hehe, hehehe..."

Chen Yang laughed dryly twice, swallowed hard,

And ordered:

"Transmit the King's..."

He paused,

And shouted again:

"Transmit this Earl's military order, no sealing of blades up and down.

This Earl will turn this Qian people's capital city into a white land!"